Tag: Class

The struggle for a separate state of ‘Gorkhaland’ in the Darjeeling hills is several decades old. But an emerging class division within the movement is characteristic of major tensions in Indian regional politics today.

The Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution was enacted to protect the indigenous community from getting alienated in their own land. But the forces of alienation are present within the indigenous community and are getting further intensified. Sadly there is no protection from it; no right for the tiller; and no restriction on hoarding of land. What this will lead to is not hard to guess. Should not changes be deliberated? Only those who wish to hide the wretchedness of the poor for personal benefit will want status quo.

A friend said in a post, “Eminent citizens Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Annie Raja, Kavita Srivastava and Shiv Visvanathan were present during the jan sunwai/public hearing”. His post left me wondering what makes some of us use this phrase ‘eminent citizen’ so innocuously…